She scoffed. “That’s not what I thought would happen. Trust me.”
Issam leaned back in his seat. “We’ll see about that.”
“Are you quite finished?” Rami’s voice was sharp, and Issam cut a glance at his brother.
“What? It’s important to the security of our family to—”
“To harass my new wife with ridiculous questions? What a warm welcome, Issam. Our mother would be so proud to hear about this.”
They were both grown men, but Issam frowned at the mention of their mother. “It’s professional curiosity.”
“It’s asinine curiosity, and you’re making a fool of yourself.”
Catelyn’s heart beat harder. This was not the awkward Rami she’d met at Lydia’s party. He was utterly calm and holding his own. Issam glanced back at her. “My apologies,” he said smoothly, “if I went too far.”
“You did.” Rami squeezed Catelyn’s hand, and she turned to look into his eyes. “I won’t fault you if you don’t forgive him.”
She let a smile curve one side of her lip. “Hold a grudge against your family? I would never.” Then, in full view of Issam, she leaned forward and pressed a kiss dangerously close to the corner of Rami’s lip.
His brother cleared his throat, looking out the window.
Rami shifted, wrapping his arm around Catelyn and pulling her close. With a little sigh, she curled into him and watched the scenery of the ancient city go by.
It was dazzling—but not as much as their time in the bedroom. She wondered how long it would be until that happened again.
* * *
“We chartered a jet,” said Zafir, the former ruler of Al-Dashalid and Rami’s father, entering the room with so much enthusiasm it was a little like being caught in a windstorm. “We were vacationing in Avignon, but we could not miss the arrival of Rami’s new wife.” He crossed the room, Rami’s mother Daya following him with a warm smile lighting up her face. He embraced Rami in a tight hug, then turned to Catelyn.
Rami didn’t miss a beat. “Catelyn, my father Zafir, and my mother Da
ya.” He beamed for the next words out of his mouth. “This is my wife, Catelyn.”
“We’re so pleased to meet you.” Daya embraced her, and Catelyn felt herself melt. Her own family had been volatile—her parents were off and on with each other until after Catelyn left for college, and only now did they seem to be settled into comfort. There was no such tension with Daya.
“It’s lovely to meet you, too.” Catelyn swallowed a lump in her throat.
The door to the sitting room opened again, and Rami’s older brother, Kyril, swept in, laughing. A little boy was running at his feet. She recognized them both from the royal website, as well as Hannah, Kyril’s American wife.
“I’m sorry we’re late,” said Kyril. He was handsome, too—the three brothers were eye-catchers, all of them. But where Rami had finer features, Kyril’s were more…solid somehow. “Inan had other ideas.”
The little boy ran straight for Zafir and leaped into his arms as Kyril and Hannah approached. Hannah hugged her. “It’s so nice to see you,” she whispered into her ear. “We’re going to be friends, I just know it.”
Catelyn had a thousand questions for her but opted for basking in the warmth of this family. Sure, Issam hadn’t been the most welcoming, but the rest of them were already drawing her into their circle. What would it be like to leave all of them behind, a year from now? Her stomach turned at the thought, and it had been all of three minutes. Yet they couldn’t build a marriage based on a lie. She shoved the thoughts out of her mind.
Last to breeze in was Adira, Rami’s sister and the youngest of the four children. She pushed to the center of the circle, looked Catelyn up and down, and declared, “I like her.” Everyone laughed, and so did Catelyn. Adira stepped forward and kissed her cheek. “Welcome to Al-Dashalid.”
Rami—he was a different person. He’d handled Issam so well, and now, in the sitting room, his shoulders were relaxed. Her heart fluttered. This was a side of him she could easily come to love.
“Rami,” boomed Zafir. “Tell us you won’t take her with you to Texas.”
“I would never leave her here with you wolves,” Rami joked. “Aside from that, Catelyn wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“It’s true,” said Catelyn. “I wouldn’t want to miss a moment with Rami.”
There was a chorus of awwwws from the assembled group, and Inan giggled. “Are you hungry, grandson?” Zafir asked him, eyes shining. “Let’s sit down to dinner.”
Her stomach growled. They hadn’t stopped to eat on the plane, and Catelyn was ravenous, though surprisingly she was not nervous about her first meal in Al-Dashalid. They went through to a large, light-bathed dining room, where a full spread waited for them.